Having created thousands of miniature ships in the last 35 years, Salim al Araimi will not be surprised if travellers will find some of his early works in homes and offices all over the world. A career he inherited from his late father, Salim is one of Sur’s prominent crafts makers having created curios, dhow models, and other traditional utensils. He also makes decorative pieces using wood and the fronts of date palms and even ventured in materials like metal.
“I was so small when I started helping my father who was an expert in making the replica of various dhows of Oman and India. Today, I’ve made more than 10,000 ships models and I am proud to say they are kept across the globe because I sold them to foreigners from all over from time to time”, Salim shared. His experience of 35 years, he admitted is thanks to his father’s foresightedness as it allowed him to have a source of income and had kept him in business since it was entrusted to him.
A small range of ship would cost you anything around RO 100 and the bigger ones may cost around RO 500 or more depending on the requirements of the clients. He uses different woods from Oman and India which have different life spans. Asked if any of his children are interested in the craft, he said, unfortunately, none was into this craft or business. “All my 6 children are educated and have jobs of their own and nobody is keen to pursue this as a profession,” he said.
With the number of followers of this craft making on the decline, Salim’s words point to a bare fact that the art of ship replica making is at the verge of extinction unless some youth programmes are created to awaken this sector. Despite challenges and the already thousands of replicas he created, Salim said he’d like to do more and continue gifting Oman visitors with souvenirs they can take home.
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